About

My name is Carla, and I’m a lifelong gardener, and retired market farmer. I garden at the Grow Food Northampton Community Garden in Florence, MA.

This blog documents my current project to demonstrate techniques that maximize the amount and quality of food produced in our small community garden plots using sustainable agricultural techniques.

I draw inspiration from a number of threads in the sustainable agriculture lexicon, but especially from the legacies of Alan Chadwick and John Jeavons who shaped my early learning about nature-centered gardening long ago in magical spaces tucked into the mountain crannies of northern California.

I once earned a B.S. in International Agriculture with concentrations in Soil Science and Rural Sociology from Cornell University, and went on to do graduate work in Adult and Extension Education.

This week in the garden …

The obligatory garden plot ID at the entrance.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

Visitors are welcome here.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

The garden on June 24th, 2017.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

Trellises, full of hope as winter squash and tomatoes show signs of being ready to climb.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

Black Plum tomatoes are our most prolific variety. They are growing upward on the trellis and starting to blossom.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

Eat-All Greens thrive in the bit of shade offered by trellised peas.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

Tokyo Bekana, a loose leaf Chinese cabbage is so tender that it can be used in place of lettuce in salads.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

The first planting of carrots were seeded on May 1st, 2017.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

A quick crop of cilantro fills in an empty space among the storage onions and leeks.

Proteknet tunnels keep Japanese beetles, cucumber beetles, and birds off beds of dry beans. In the foreground, Rio Zape, a pinto bean discovered in a Hopi cave, is noted for hints of chocolate in its flavor profile.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

The “Little Easy Bean Project:” We’re participating in a program to preserve rare beans. The low tunnel provides insect protection to ensure the precious seeds reach maturity so they can be deposited back in the seed bank in the Fall.

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

Inside one of the bean tunnels: all is looking good!

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

A couple of everbearing strawberries have been planted at eye level as a “trap crop” to lure passers by who might otherwise be tempted to taste the premium Fairfax strawberries below!

Photo Credit: Diane Garey

The spinach bed has just had it’s last harvest, and will be quickly prepared for a new planting of winter storage carrots.